Asking yourself, “What are the causes of overheating on iPhones”, and want to know what you can do to stop this issue from happening? While there are a number of causes, there are also a number of solutions to consider, and most of them don’t require any kind of repair.
Here, we will go through all kinds of causes for iPhones to overheat, and we will go through what you can do to stop it from happening. Or, at the very least, make sure no damage is done.
We also have articles on replacing the front and back glass on your phone, as well as the battery. There are also several articles on accessing the rear camera of your iPhone, what happens if your camera lens breaks.
What Does Overheating Do to an iPhone?
When an iPhone overheats, the internal temperature gets too high for it to effectively function. This will slow the device down and, in extreme cases, shut it off entirely until it cools down.
Overheating is something that you want to desperately avoid, as it can kill an iPhone in no time. When overheating occurs, you will receive a warning on the screen telling you that the temperature threshold has been exceeded.
What Are the Causes of Overheating on iPhones

There are lots of causes to consider when it comes to overheating iPhones (or technology in general). In all cases, however, there is something that we can do about it to prevent the issue from getting too bad.
What are the causes of overheating iPhones? Let’s dive into it, and see what we can learn.
Extreme Environmental Temperatures
Both extreme heat and extreme cold will negatively impact your iPhone. In fact, both options can cause your phone to overheat – which sounds weird, but it makes sense when you break it down.
A cold phone needs to work very hard to get up to the right temperature and work, but by doing this, it works too hard, and gets too warm.
Leaving phones in sweltering cars on summer days is a huge issue, and it happens too often – even in the UK. iPhones should ideally be kept at temperatures between 0–35°C, so you should do what you can to ensure that it stays within this range for optimal functioning.
Using it Too Much
It should come as no surprise that using your phone a lot will lead it to warm up and overheat. This is especially the case if you are using it for apps that require a lot of power, like most games. Other things, like apps with high-quality graphics or apps that use streaming, will all make the iPhone work harder and heat up.
The simple solution to this would be to lose your phone less. If this sounds like too much of a challenge, start with shutting down apps that are not in use, so that the processor doesn’t need to work too hard.
Bad Signal
Locations that have bad signals will cause your iPhone to work harder to keep the connection. As we know, this will make the device heat up as more of its resources and energy are used to maintain the signal.
The Phone Case
Phone cases are necessary if you want to protect your device. However, because they distribute the heat around the whole phone, you need to know when to take the case off.
If you can already feel your iPhone starting to overheat, remove the case and leave it to cool down. When it’s cooled off, put it back on to keep your phone safe.
Software Updates and Outdated iOS
Outdated iOS will make your phone work harder, thereby straining the processor – which will lead to overheating. However, several app and software updates in a row can also put strain on the device and make it heat up.
The good thing is, updating your iPhone software is usually easy, and it can resolve a wide host of issues that you could experience, from poor sound quality on calls and other audio issues to various camera problems.
If you need to update your iOS, but the device doesn’t want to, you can do it manually. However, you will need the latest version of iTunes on a Windows or Mac laptop/PC for this method.
Follow these steps:
- Connect your Windows/Mac device to the phone
- Do a force restart to get your phone in Recovery Mode
- Don’t let go of the buttons until the phone screen has the Recovery mode screen (a charging cable with an arrow pointed at a laptop)
- Select ‘update’ when the option to restore or update on your computer shows up
- Confirm, then follow the instructions given to you (it can take up to 15 minutes, so have some patience)
- Your phone will restart on its own once you’re done
If this doesn’t work, you can use DFU Mode, but beware that this will restore iOS to a clean slate, so back your phone up first!
Once the device has updated, make sure to leave it alone for a while if it feels warmer than it should. We also suggest that you stop all background apps and tasks from running as these updates happen, as this will reduce the load on the processor.
Apps Malfunctioning
Like with anything technology-related, there are often glitches and malfunctions that we need to be aware of. Unfortunately, malfunctioning apps can quickly heat an iPhone up and make it unusable, whether it’s short-term or long-term.
An app that malfunctions will have some kind or bug or glitch that causes it to use much more energy than it usually should. You will need to identify which apps these are by looking at their energy usage in settings (Settings → Battery → Battery Usage (wait for it to populate) → check details of apps to determine which are using too much energy.
Heavy Data Use
Using data continuously can also cause this issue. Especially in cases where you are downloading sizeable files or streaming something, and you will quickly notice that your phone is feeling warmer than it should.
If this is the case, we suggest taking it slow and not overdoing it on the streaming and download use when you are using your data.
Issues With Charging
Using the incorrect charger can result in the internal temperature of an iPhone (or other Apple products) to rise. This might be because the charger doesn’t meet the safety standards at Apple, or there is another compatibility issue.
Always use an Apple charger with Apple products if you want to be safe.
Degraded Battery
Batteries will degrade over time, and this is perfectly normal. However, a degraded or damaged battery can be dangerous to your phone, and it is a prime cause of overheating.
You can check the status of your iPhone’s battery by going to: Settings → Battery → Battery Health & Charging. If the battery is no longer at optimal functioning, or there’s a note saying it should be serviced, take it into a trusted repair shop like us to get a new one.
imFixed Can Help You

At imFixed, we believe local is best, and have repair shops in Manchester, Rochdale, Oldham, and beyond. We also keep accessories such as Apple chargers, Apple cases, android cases, and screen protectors, and supply you with the ultimate tool – knowledge.
Learn what to do if a software update fails, and fix iPhones that won’t vibrate, detect SIM cards, charge, stay charged, or connect to Wi-Fi. We also explore issues like speaker issues, and broken power buttons, so there’s plenty to check out.
So, what are the causes of overheating on iPhones? Anything from overuse and software updates to malfunctioning apps and charging issues can result in your iPhone heating up. Of course, there is also the obvious to remember – the environment! Take measures to keep your device cool, and it will serve you well.